Knowledge and attitudes about vitamin D and sunlight exposure in premenopausal women living in Jeddah, and their relationship with serum vitamin D levels

Table 2 Knowledge of vitamin D among Saudi premenopausal women aged 20–50 years attending the primary health care center at KAMC Jeddah (n = 257)

Knowledge of vitamin D	n (%)
Having heard/learnt about vitamin D
Yes	255 (99.2)
No	2 (0.8)
Vitamin D is important for health
Yes	248 (96.5)
Don’t know	7 (2.7)
Most important source of vitamin D
Natural food sources	6 (2.3)
Sunlight**	233 (90.7)
Supplements	4 (1.6)
Do not know	12 (4.7)
Heard about vitamin D fortification in food
Yes	95 (37.0)
No	160 (62.3)
Dietary sources for vitamin D^a
Oily fish**	122 (47.5)
Fortified dairy products**	92 (35.8)
Leafy vegetables	65 (25.5)
Eggs**	64 (25.1)
Citrus fruits	19 (7.5)
Meat**	12 (4.7)
Most important effect of vitamin D^a
Bone health**	186 (72.9)
Osteoporosis prevention**	193 (75.7)
Hair growth	87 (34.1)
Immunity**	51 (20.0)
Skin softness	21 (8.2)
Vision health	14 (5.5)
Factors that can decrease the amount of vitamin D^a
Avoid of sun exposure**	199 (78.0)
Sunscreen**	66 (25.9)
Age**	58 (22.7)
Skin color**	33 (12.9)
Fatty diet	24 (9.4)

Participants were able to choose more than one option therefore percentages do not add up to 100%
Abbreviations: Frequency (n); Percentage (%)
** Indicate the correct answer

ISSN: 2072-1315